An arrest has been made in the Fairview Gardens shooting in Anderson that injured two and killed one T.L. Hanna High School senior.Just two weeks after 18-year-old Imani Clemons’ murder, Mikial Hykeem Ferguson has been arrested and charged with murder, six counts of attempted murder, and weapon possession. Ferguson was arraigned in Anderson County Court Thursday. According to Anderson police Chief Jim Stewart, Ferguson was arrested a couple days after the shooting by Anderson County deputies for a home invasion. “We want to make Anderson a safe place for everyone. So, today’s a good day,” Stewart said. “We’re removing someone from our community for quite a while probably.”Stewart went on to say he believes other suspects were involved in this shooting. He’s asking for the community’s help in identifying those people of interest.While one suspect is off the streets, a family is still coming to grips with their loss. “It don’t make no sense,” Omond Clemons, Imani’s father, said through tears. “I’ve got to bury my baby girl. My daughter, I’ve got to bury her. This is sad, man, it’s not right. The community, none of this right. We’ve got to go to sleep with this. Wake up with this.”Parents Khalilah Gray and Omond Clemons lost their son, Shy’heem Clemons to gun violence last summer. They said their daughter was a bright and focused hard worker.”She had a plan. Very driven,” Gray said. “Nothing was going to stop her. Nothing. That was her goal right now, let me hurry up and graduate high school so that I can get out of Anderson to do better.”That is until December. The family had just spent their first Christmas without their oldest son when Imani was shot and killed at Fairview Gardens Apartments. She was the second in her family to be killed in five months. “This is not a small issue. It’s bigger than Anderson. It’s bigger than the way they are portraying it,” Gray continued. “Why do we have to go through this again? Why? Why?”Now, Gray and Clemons are planning their second funeral, unsure if they’ll even be able to afford to place Imani at rest near her brother.”There’s no way that I can, we can lay our child to rest way across town,” Gray said. “She needs to be with her brother.Some community members have created a GoFundMe to offset the family’s funeral costs.Instead of looking forward to her graduation or big plans, Saturday, the parents will say goodbye to their 18-year-old daughter.”She’s supposed to be here. They were supposed to lay us to rest,” Omond said.Imani Clemons’ funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Civic Center of Anderson.
ANDERSON, S.C. —
An arrest has been made in the Fairview Gardens shooting in Anderson that injured two and killed one T.L. Hanna High School senior.
Just two weeks after 18-year-old Imani Clemons’ murder, Mikial Hykeem Ferguson has been arrested and charged with murder, six counts of attempted murder, and weapon possession.
Ferguson was arraigned in Anderson County Court Thursday.
According to Anderson police Chief Jim Stewart, Ferguson was arrested a couple days after the shooting by Anderson County deputies for a home invasion.
“We want to make Anderson a safe place for everyone. So, today’s a good day,” Stewart said. “We’re removing someone from our community for quite a while probably.”
Stewart went on to say he believes other suspects were involved in this shooting. He’s asking for the community’s help in identifying those people of interest.
While one suspect is off the streets, a family is still coming to grips with their loss.
“It don’t make no sense,” Omond Clemons, Imani’s father, said through tears. “I’ve got to bury my baby girl. My daughter, I’ve got to bury her. This is sad, man, it’s not right. The community, none of this right. We’ve got to go to sleep with this. Wake up with this.”
Parents Khalilah Gray and Omond Clemons lost their son, Shy’heem Clemons to gun violence last summer. They said their daughter was a bright and focused hard worker.
“She had a plan. Very driven,” Gray said. “Nothing was going to stop her. Nothing. That was her goal right now, let me hurry up and graduate high school so that I can get out of Anderson to do better.”
That is until December. The family had just spent their first Christmas without their oldest son when Imani was shot and killed at Fairview Gardens Apartments. She was the second in her family to be killed in five months.
“This is not a small issue. It’s bigger than Anderson. It’s bigger than the way they are portraying it,” Gray continued. “Why do we have to go through this again? Why? Why?”
Now, Gray and Clemons are planning their second funeral, unsure if they’ll even be able to afford to place Imani at rest near her brother.
“There’s no way that I can, we can lay our child to rest way across town,” Gray said. “She needs to be with her brother.
Some community members have created a GoFundMe to offset the family’s funeral costs.
Instead of looking forward to her graduation or big plans, Saturday, the parents will say goodbye to their 18-year-old daughter.
“She’s supposed to be here. They were supposed to lay us to rest,” Omond said.
Imani Clemons’ funeral will be Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Civic Center of Anderson.